Automobile starter



Nov. 13, 1 928.

Filed Sept.28, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 13, 1928. 1,691,417

v T. WARD AUTOMOBILE STARTER Filed Sept.28, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 30 if v 31 a a f 1 2 4 04 4 i?! 26 Z6- qr 25 S i 2* g 22 V E 1 6 E 9 l? i y L rm/ Z3 Patented Nov. 13, 1928.

UNITED STATES THOMAS WARD, or NEW LEXINGTON, onto.

AUTOMOBILE STARTER.

' Application filed September 28, 1927. Serial No. 222,657.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a starter for automobiles which can be operated with the same hand and at the same time as the gear shift lever if desired. Details of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the appended claims.

In the drawings:

- Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion of an automobile with the body removed, showin r the invention installed.

figure 2 is a perspective view of the invention and the parts of the automobile to which it is attache Figure 3 is a cross section on the line 3--3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of the upper portion of the gear shift lever and with part of the starter which s attached thereto.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section of the switch mechanism and its operating connections.

Figure 6 is a. longitudinal section through a modified form of the invention.

The invention may be applied to any usual automobile and there has been indicated accordingly only a portion of the chassis A, the engine housing B, battery C, start1ng motor I), and gear shift lever E. These may be of the old or any desired construction.

A bracket 1 attached to the side of the starting motor I) by means of a bolt 2 is adapted to support a starting switch mechanism. A bolt 3 passes through said bracket and an insulating block 4 and carries at its inner end a contact member 5 adapted to engage with a movable contact 6. A similar bolt 7 passes through an insulating block 8 and carries at its end a contact member 9 adapted to contact with a movable member 10. This bolt also acts as means for connecting a terminal 11 communicating with the battery C. Both of the insulation blocks 1 and 8 are carried by walls 12 and are set in the tapering portion of said walls so that the various contact members 5 and 6 and 9 and 10 are at an angle of about 3 O to the axis of the switch casing.

Bolts 13 pass through ears of the walls 12 through a flange 15 of a tubular member 14 and through a flange 17 of a larger tubular member as well as through a plate 18 thus holding all of these parts in assembled relation as siiown in Figure 5. The switch members 10- are carried by a plunger 19 .w threaded at its other end to a ich slides in the tubular portion 1a and is i'iorinally pressed outward by a way therein in which fits a tubular member 28. A finger button 29 is connected to the outer end of the wire 26 and has a short plunger portion 80 fitting within the casing 28 and normally held outward by a spring 31.

The tube 21 has an enlarged portion 24 fitting within the cylinder 28 and is held in position by a cap nut 32 which screw threads on the lower end of the member 28 It will be obvious that a pressure on the finger button 29 will move the wire 26 endwise through the various guiding members in which it fits and against the tension of the springs 31 and 21 thereby moving the plunger 19 and causing the contact members 6 and 10 to engage with the fixed members 5 and 9 respectively so closing the circuit and initiating the movement of the starting motor. Upon release of the finger button, the springs 21 and 31 will break the circuit.

The form thus far described is indicated to be applied as an attachment to an automobile already constructed while Figure 6 shows a modification in which the gear shift lever E is constructed with a central passageway to re ceive the wire 26 which is attached at its upper end to the finger button in the usual manner. The gear shift lever in this formis made in two parts and the tubular member 33 which corresponds to the tubular member 28 of the first form isprovided with an enlarged internally threaded lower end which screws upon the upper end of the gear shift lever. The lower part of the shift lever is provided with an arm and the flexible tubular member 2 1 is connected thereto by means of a cap screw 35. The operation of the device is obviously the same as in the first form.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that by reason of the means for controlling the starter switch being located in the upper end of the gear shift lever, the simultaneous shifting of gears and operating of the switch which controls the starting motor, is permitted.

This simultaneous operation is of great advantage when a car becomes stalled in traffic.

It is necessary to start the'motor, shift from high into low, and get away as quickly as possible. With my invention, the motor may be started while the operator is shifting the gears from high to low without removing his hand from the gear shift lever and without removing his foot from the brake pedal, and at the same time permitting his other hand to'remain on the steering wheel.

Furthermore, it often happens that a car equipped with the ordinary foot controlled starter, Ina be halted on a grade by traflic, and when t e operator puts t 1e car into gear and starts to go up the grade the motor becomes stalled. It is then necessary for the operator to start the motor by pushing down on the starter button with his right foot, and simultaneously apply his left foot to the brake pedal which has just been vacated by the right foot. This shifting of the feet must be instantaneously accomplished or otherwise the car will move backwardly down the'grade due to the brake pedal being released when the right foot was moved over to the starter button. After the motor has been thus started, it

is necessary for the operator tothen shift his right foot to the brake pedal and maintain it in operative position before the left foot can ,be returned to the clutch pedal. \Vith my in- 'vention, both the shifting of the feet as above described and thedanger of releasing the brake is entirely eliminated, because the operator while maintaining his feet in normal operating positions on the clutch pedal and brake pedal respectively, can start the motor and simultaneously shift the gear lever with his right hand.

Furthermore under eitherofthe above circumstances, when using lily-invention, it requires but an instant of time for the operator, to press the button on the upper end of the lever by the thumb of hishand which is engaged with the lever, without moving said hand relative to the lever, thereby permitting theoperator to place the car inmotionwithout any appreciable delay whatsoever.

It is apparent that the type of automobile to whichthe invention is applied is immaterial and also that the specific form of starting motor may be varied in any desired manner. So far as these features are concerned, the illustration is merely conventional and is in no 'way to beregarded as limiting the invention. It is also apparent that various details may be modified as regards size, proportion and location without in ,any way departing from the spirit of the invention which is to be regarded as limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination with an automobile having the usual gear shift lever, starting motor, and an electrical circuitfor the motor including a normally open switch, ofmeans mounted on the upper end of the lever and connected .With' the switch for moving the latter toclose the motor circuit, whereby said lever and said switch may be operated simultaneously by the same hand.

2. In combination with an automobile having the usual gear shift lever, starting motor, and an electrical circuit for the motor including a normally open switch, of means mounted on the-upper end of the lever and connected with the switch for moving the latter to close the motor circuit, whereby said lever and said switch maybe operated simultaneously by the same hand, said means including a movable finger piece mounted on the upper end of the lever, an endwise movable flexible wire co;:- nected to the finger piece and to the switch for closing the latter upon movement by the for mer, and means for yieldably retaining the finger piece and the switch against movement by pressure exerted on the finger piece.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto sub- 

